Increased imports bolster Mombasa port’s performance as 2024 records highest-ever cargo growth

The port of Mombasa registered its highest-ever cargo growth throughput in 2024, handling 41.1 million tonnes, a 14.1 per cent increase from 35.98 million tonnes in 2023. This remarkable performance solidifies the port’s position as East Africa’s primary trade gateway.

Container traffic also hit a historic high, surpassing 2 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) for the first time in over a decade.

A total of 2,005,076 TEUs were handled in 2024, reflecting a 23.5 per cent rise from the 1,623,080 TEUs recorded the previous year.

According to Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director William Ruto, the port’s performance was bolstered by increased imports, which grew by 7.2 per cent, and exports, which rose by 6.6 per cent. Transit cargo volumes also surged by 17.4 per cent, reaching 13.4 million tonnes.

"Uganda remains our leading transit destination, accounting for 65.7 per cent of transit cargo, with 8.8 million tonnes handled in 2024, a 23.8 per cent growth compared to 2023," Ruto said.

Other key transit destinations included South Sudan (12.7 per cent), the Democratic Republic of Congo (11.8 per cent), Rwanda (5.1 per cent), and Tanzania (3.4 per cent).

Transhipment traffic witnessed extraordinary growth, with 491,666 TEUs processed in 2024, marking a 132.9 per cent increase from 2023. Ruto attributed this to vessel diversions resulting from the Red Sea crisis and improved turnaround times at the port.

“The performance was enhanced by significant growth in containerized and bulk cargo volumes, with transhipment traffic receiving a boost from some major shipping lines choosing Mombasa port as their transhipment hub thus enabling smaller feeder vessels to serve eastern, southern Africa ports as well as the Indian Ocean Islands from the port of Mombasa,” noted Ruto.

December 2024 capped off the year with robust figures, recording 3.7 million tonnes in total cargo throughput, a 23.7 per cent increase from December 2023. Container traffic for the month rose by 23.7 per cent, while transit traffic increased by 22.2 per cent.

The impressive performance has been linked to infrastructure upgrades, operational efficiency, and the port’s emergence as a preferred transhipment hub for eastern and southern Africa.

“Our ongoing investments in equipment replacement and modernisation programme, infrastructure development and operations system upgrade ensure that the port of Mombasa continues its upward trajectory as East Africa’s leading trade gateway,” he said.

Ruto affirmed the authority's commitment to further enhancing the port’s capacity, emphasising ongoing investments in modernisation and expansion projects.

"The port of Mombasa remains a critical hub for East Africa’s regional trade, and our improved performance underscores its strategic importance," he said.